Water

13

Comments

  • I would also agree. It looks as though there was anough water for nearly 1 bottle per person every mile!! During training did we all really drink 80cl of water every single mile??? Chance are we regularly went 3, 4 or (for those of us living on the edge) even 5 miles without taking water on during training - I think I did an 18 miler on one occasion having forgotten my bottle (oops). Yes, it was hot, yes it was uncomfortable to run in, but I would suggest that if water did run out, it was the fault of us, the runners , simply panicking and thinking that if we didn't take on water every 8 - 10 minutes we would collapse in a crumpled heap, rather than the organisers who I think did a fantastic job! Having read other threads on this forum it could be that so many of us suffered because we took on too much water!
  • I finished in 4hrs27,no probleb with the water stations,but then I did stop for a quick half.of mangers at the Adam and eve pub.
  • Nice one supervet

    Only a half?
    ;)
  • yep just the one,didnt want to get to much of the taste othewise Imay have had to stay a little bit longer for one or two more,may be just may be nextyear Ill have alittle more.
  • I asked in the Vittel tent for a lid at the start but was told they don't give them out as people have gone over on their ankles running over them. Not sure they are anymore dangerous than all the empty bottles!

    In the end I carried a 'drinking style' lid from an old bottle of mine and got water at every third station. That way I could sip as I went and used less water. Sorry to hear there wasn't enough behind me. I ran in sub 4 40 and never saw anyone with 2 bottles - I think people were trying not to be greedy.
  • Each Water station was meant to have approximately 28,000 bottles of water. It is normally 25,000. This isn't quite enough for every runner to have a drink at every water station, but is sufficient for every runner to drink 16 bottles each... Which is over 4 litres in the race.



  • I had no water problem, Only took a bottle once. My plan was take lids to use on bottles.
    This went out the window, Just asked nearest runner if i could share before they threw this worked very well.
    Several non english speaking runners were quick to oblige.

  • I had no problem with water but I really sympathise with those that did.

    Overall, a brilliant event. Unforgettable. Only complaint - why are there never ever enough loos at the start and along the course. Queues were dreadful at the Green start.
  • you should have been at red start caryl-then you will see queues!

    though the loos were being marshalled this year-which did help
  • I think the problem of running out of water was down to people panicking and heeding all the tv peoples warnings about drinking loads on the race. What do weather people and news people know about marathon hydration ??

    I didnt touch the water til almost the second half of the race i think - the Lucozade was enough and even after that it was only every other water station I'd take some and some of that was shared with others anyway. Most people were very sensible - there should have been no running out at all.

    If we had drunk all that water then I think we'd have been worse off.
  • I dont like to say this
    but they ran out of luco sport as well
  • Did they ? Oops. Well I skipped the last station - so there should have been one spare for you Hipps !?

    And why is there a special drinks station at mile 25 ? What point is that ? Surely thats too close for the finish ?
  • it was at the beginning where the problems were cougie-later on ther was loads of water and luco sport

    yeah, i saw that special station at 25-weird
  • arent the special stations the stations for the elites with their own drinks? I didn't have any problems with drinks but I have every sympathy for those that feel it hampered them or even may have put them at risk, not sure who's responsibility it was though. I only saw one guy who was in an underpass with 3 Lucozade sports who looked to be in a bad way so he may have needed them, didn't see any people with more than one water. I agree with the comments earlier about what a waste it was to pour it over you but you can't run at speed carrying an open bottle not to mention the extra weight. Apparently at the comrades they have bags of water you tear the corner off and squirt it in, supposedly much easier to drink. Ive used cups and they are rubbish nigh on impossible unless you slow down and sip. I had planned to take lids and carry to save how much I used also so I didnt need to join the scrabble at the sides if I could avoid it but to be honest after 6miles I just couldn't be that focused I just drank as much as could and chucked the rest over me before stumbling on in a little of a daze!
  • It was a hot day and the conditions were not pleasant. I was fortunate to be able to finish in a time that meant there was always water whenever I needed it - so for those that were behind its really tough supplies ran out.

    I would point out though that water supplies running is not, and should not be perceived as, the fault of the organnisers of the world's best mass participation marathon.

    At the start there were repeated messages to runners to consider everyone running and not to waste water - use the showers etc. So the people to blame are those who threw water over themselves and/or who only drank a mouthful of water before ploughing on having no regard for anyone other than themselves ... you know who you are and frankly SHAME ON YOU.

    I managed to run with a 3/4 full bottle with no problem at all - so that kind of rubbish about the problems of running with an open bottle is grossly unfair.

    Come on people - the moaning wingers are taking over and individuals are not taking responsibility for themselves - you can't run in 23C heat and expect the world to revolve around you.

    THANK YOU TO FLM FOR A GREAT EVENT AND FOR A WONDERFUL DAY. WELL DONE YOU ALL DESERVE MORE SUPPORT THAN YOU SEEM TO BE GETTING.

    Oh and I am an FLM first timer ... Enough said?

  • It's difficult to both encourage runners to drink plenty but moan when they take a bottle every station. Every runner is putting 100% into achieving their goal for the day. Consensus seems to be that very few took more than one bottle at a time.

    ...and it goes against common sense to say don't tip the remiander of a bottle over yourself - clearly it does have a refreshing/cooling effect additional to what you've already achieved by drinking plenty. Many of the elites were pouring water on themselves.

    I don't think Vittel would be happy sponsoring plastic bags. The bottles must be logistically easy - pallet loads to site, rip off the plastic and remove the lids.

    Only sure way would be 1 bottle per runner at each station!! maybe that, with fewer stations, would be the answer.

    Maybe they could have standpipes and cups on standby at every 3rd mile to guarantee a supply in line with the regs?

  • Actually people should have drunk the lucozade as well as water as you need eletrolyte replacement to ensure you replace the salt as well as the water lost from sweating. If you just drink water then you dilute Sodium further. This is called Hynotraemia http://www.coolrunning.co.nz/articles/2002a011.html. There was an article on this in Runners World last year. It can be fatal and it looks like this is what accounted for the 22 year old that died. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6587093.stm.

    Not confirmed but my immediate reaction to the death when I heard it wasn't heart related was that it could be this. The media do indeed keep pushing people to drink more to stay hydrated but it can be overdone and there have been several deaths in recent years due to this, more so in New York.
  • It's simple this BOTTLE solution! You can get the smaller "sucking" type bottles that fit nice in ya hand - i am sure vittel do these mini bottles - just enough water for a runner to take in and not barf up.
  • I was shocked to hear commentators on the BBC saying that runners should "drink as much water as possible" and today they are reporting that someone tragically died of hyponatraemia. I'm not saying they are to blame, but surely the people covering an event such as this should be given some proper medical guidance, rather than being allowed to spout this rubbish. I'm surprised the likes of Cram and Foster don't know better - but then again perhaps I'm not, as they seem so out of touch with modern athletics.
  • Did anyone notice the MASSES of water at about 25.2 miles? just as you turned from Victoria Embankment, past Big Ben into Parliment Square..

    I was aiming for a 6hr, but due to lack of water in miles 11 thru 15 i only managed a 6:32:24 - still good for a first attempt, but it was only lack of water which held me back.. when i saw that massive pile of still wrapped up water at Westminster i almost fainted... just couldnt beleive it - almost mirage like!!

    At mile 15 i had to run in to a pub and ask the bar maid to refil the empty bottle i'd been hanging onto... if it wasnt for her i doubt i'd have been able to continue.

  • and ive asked on another thread if there are mini bottles-what a good idea
  • mini bottles sounds like a good idea, maybe half the size of the ones on sunday. If they could make them cost effective enough perhaps with the closing plastic lid on where you just suck when you wanted it it would be great, not too much to cary and no lids to worry about. Surely runners would buy them by the bucket load to train with so they would have a market for this.
  • I ended up on the course for 8 hours. Water ran out from mile 5. Luckily I had a sports top that fitted so carried each bottle with me. Luckily there was a lovely lady at mile 10 who had a bucket of water from her house to fill up empty bottles collected from the road. I only made 1 shower too. On the Isle of Dogs St John Ambulance were giving out water bought from the nearby Asda!

    What angered me was I saw 2 lads at a water station (one of maybe 2 that still had supplies as I went past) throwing it at each other, and this adult man watching with a smile on his face!

    The stations that did have water were giving out 2 or 3 bottles as they new nowhere else had them. I was lucky, my husband was walking with me so could carry more.

    I'm not the fastest of runners by a long shot, but I was hoping for around 6 hours. I decided to walk as I would rather finish in one piece than drop out through dehydration.

    I read somewhere there was enough water for each runner to have 7.5 litres - there's no way I had that much!
  • I, like others have already said, ran with my own 500 ml bottle at the start, when empty i discarded the bottle but kept the sports valve lid.. and just screwed it onto the next bottle i got.. i was able to do 2 stations per bottle, but still found there was nothing at 11 thru 15 then only intermittent supply to the end.

    Im not sure whose fault it is.. i suspect it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.. FLM should have put more on, but likewise faster runners perhaps should have bene limited in the amount they can take.. i dunno... i aint pointing fingers.

    Guess in a sense it adds to the "challenge" of it all...

    :-)

  • I would have loved to be in the sub 3 hour group but have only recently started running and finishing at 6.05 I was out in the heat was twice as long as many of you experienced runners.

    I also trained hard but mainly in the evenings, in the cool and without others in front of me.

    Then to be told by 3 watering stations in a row that there is no water it starts to affect you both mentally and physically.

    Now i'm not saying I didn't have one of the best days in my life and one that I fully intend to repeat next year but the organisers should still be made aware via forums such as this of problems in the system.
  • Agreed Yoda.. congratulations on getting around 6:05 is still a fantastic time to finish in!

    I too, am definately going back next year.. and am also going to enter other marathons - FLM 07 has turned this marathon virgin into a marathon addict!

  • After my first FLM (2004) I learned to keep the lid from the bottle of water I got at the Expo to use on race day. I only picked up a bottle when I needed it and sipped water as I went round. I did pour some over myself when the bottle was almost empty and I was coming to another water station. I think it's something the organisers could improve - but I also think we runners could manage better too, by hanging on to bottles or sharing them rather than throwing them away. And you're right, cups of water are rubbish unless you're prepared to stop and drink from them.
  • way2slowway2slow ✭✭✭
    i hadn't kept my lid but found sticking my thumb in the top prevented it from sloshing all over me and only ended up taking a new bottle every 3-4 stations. Did see lots of runners just taking a couple of sips then chucking the bottles though.
  • At Rotterdam marathon they had a clever drinking system, cups with a sponge in the top with two holes cut out. The sponge stopped the water splashing everywhere and you could carry it with you, then use the sponge again (look in the participants into of http://www.fortismarathonrotterdam.nl/ for detail. Runners still complained that they ran out of water, however, there were always people with hosepipes filling cups up, even if you had to grab one of the floor and then stand in line for the bloke with a hosepipe to fill them up, which I did on one occasion! But at least, if you were patient, you could still get some water, whereas once bottles are finished, they are finished.
    Mind you they did cancel Rotterdam half way through because of the heat, anyway.
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